


Irresistibly Malevolent

by Aiskuriimuneko



Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, i ship it just a tad lmao, mainly thought it was a fun ship to write about, though it is kinda dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 14:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21120452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aiskuriimuneko/pseuds/Aiskuriimuneko
Summary: Post Scarlett Fever. Scarlett feels rather depressed after her elimination and Mal is not afraid to rub it in. Evil shipping.





	Irresistibly Malevolent

This hardly seems fair, in Scarlett's opinion. These past few weeks have been absolutely _torturous_ to her mental state. Not only had the treatment she'd endured whilst competing on _Total Drama_ been unbearable, that idiot to Maxwell had also enlisted her to work as his subordinate throughout the entire show. And to think, he actually believed himself to be the most diabolic being to ever grace the planet. Had Scarlett only focused on herself – the course of action which she originally had been set on – that purple-haired pest would have put himself inside the Cannon of Shame all on his own. Which would have left her with all the time she needed to gain full control over the artificial island.

Scarlett would have studied all the contestants thoroughly and mapped out a psychological profile for each of them. She would have observed their strengths, phobias and habits, in order to identify their weak points and eliminate them accordingly to their level of usefulness. Gaining the trust of her fellow competitors was but her plan all along; to play into their naïve preconceptions of her plain appearance in order to sneakily carry out her strategy. _Total Drama_ was, according to herself, a pathetic excuse of television program. It was a stale way to torture and publicly humiliate teenagers who were too focused on bitter rivalry, pointless drama and hopelessly stupid crushes.

_Utterly foolish._ Nothing appealed to Scarlett more than the million dollars and after having watched the first four seasons of the show, she was more than confident in her ability to win the price money if she constructed a solid plan. When the news came of Scarlett's acceptance into the newest season, she was delighted to be able to put her plan into motion.

It turned out to be quite different from what she had imagined.

Scarlett had been forced to eat disgusting food, – completely unfit to be even named as such! – been electrocuted and forced to traverse an unstable cave with _the last person she ever wanted to speak to again_. It was likely that spending too much time around that imbecile had left Scarlett affected by his stupidity and if by any chance she catches him around this resort, she will personally make sure that he won't survive his next food poisoning. By now, Max will do well not to refer to her as his _assistant in evil _ever again. Scarlett looks forward to that.

Which is to say, it is about the only thing she looks forward to. Returning to _Plaza Des Losers_ after nearly having the suitcase with the million dollars in her possession is shameful, if not utterly embarrassing. Especially when considering how she had succumbed to the deceit of the remaining players. That alone confirms her previous statement about Max being a bad influence.

Chris, however, seemingly shows no concern for Scarlett's homicidal tendencies and the security risk it poses the former contestants. He made it pretty clear that the money spent on security guards would decrease the luxurious standard of his newly renovated cottage and he couldn't have any of that.

Luckily for them, Scarlett doesn't have any immediate plans to hurt anyone (except Max). Her elimination has left her in a strange state of contemplation, with little to no desire to converse with anyone. Which is quite fortuitous for the genius, considering how nobody dares to even be near her. Scarlett spends most of her days on her bed with a book – one she has gone to great lengths to find. God only knows why nobody on this forsaken resort reads nothing but_ brochures_ – or simply sit near the pool with her legs pulled to her chest. In the latter case, she observes the other teens with a gaze so intense and scrutinizing that most of the time it doesn't occur to her when they shoot her strange looks. Not that it matters.

Once the season is over and the winner announced, she will return home. She hopes that her chances of getting into the university of her own choosing isn't completely ruined.

As Scarlett is sitting close to the pool and relaxing under the shade a nearby parasol, she feels a presence approaching. The person occupies the chair next to her, but chooses to say nothing instead of striking up a conversation. Scarlett remains silent, hoping this stranger has simply mistaken her for one of the other redheads on this resort. She waits for the inevitable string of nervous apologies, the scrambling of clumsy feet and ensuing silence.

It never comes.

Scarlett waits five minutes before she tilts her head to the side, slowly opening her eyes to reveal the person's identity. It is none other than Mal. He not-so-strategically cheated and lied his way to the finale of the previous season but didn't win the prize money when the island of Wawanakwa sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Mal sips on a drink from the tiki bar, wearing a dark pair of swimming trunks and a black shirt to match. He looks quite pleased with himself, prickling Scarlett's skin with his gaze and she is having none of it.

Scarlett refuses to indulge him in his taunting and says nothing to it. She closes her eyes and focuses on the calm, tropical breeze that plays with her red locks.

"I'm surprised you aren't paying me any attention, Scarlett. Am I bothering you?"

A reply doesn't come immediately but Mal shows no signs of being bothered by it.

"If the way I'm not acknowledging your presence is anything to go by, I'd reckon you are."

Scarlett leans back to make herself more comfortable. Telling someone off feels oddly refreshing, it's the first time she has been able to voice herself since she came. It feels as if a burden on her shoulders has been relieved; not entirely but just enough to allow her to breathe.

The look on Mal's face is not one the redhead is fond of. He isn't overly offended or visibly disturbed by her rude comment in any way. His head is cocked towards her with a sly smirk that almost shows the gap between his teeth. Is Scarlett amusing him?

"Sarcasm, huh? That's a first. Interesting."

Scarlett understands now that Mal won't disappear on his own volition, so she decides to help get the message across. "Why, Mal, surely you mustn't think that fear is the only emotion one can feel towards you," Scarlett continues, meeting his gaze with a calm and leveled glare of her own. She curves her lips upward to display superiority.

"Pray tell, does Courtney despise you for causing the breakup between her and Scott? Are Gwen and Cameron anxious around you for injuring them during the finale? Do Alejandro and Heather avoid you for almost sending them to their imminent deaths?" the redhead inclines her head and bats her eyelashes condescendingly. "And ah, how could I forget Zoey! How is she? Does the death of Mike still haunt her as you had hoped for? Does she hate you as you've always wanted her to?"

Mal smiles, dark and unbidden. "She does, thank you for asking. However, I can't help but notice your own lack of fear towards me," he replies, looking as if he takes great pride in all of the aforementioned accomplishments. "You've seen what I'm capable of, what I'm able to _do_. You're aware of just how dangerous I can be, as you've just wonderfully explained and yet," he gives her a look-over as if he is carefully studying her. And appreciates what he sees. "You don't seem the slightest bit intimidated by me. I wonder how so."

Scarlett lets her eyes idly drift to their surroundings and notices how some of the girls are huddled together around the bar, whispering delicate secrets that she no doubt is the center of. It makes her want to return the favor with a glare of utmost irritation, one that will silence them indefinitely.

"Make no mistake, Mal, I have nothing in common with these imbeciles," Scarlett says, her head turned back to lean against her soft chair. She closes her eyes and tries to relax. "I am my own master. No one will bend me to their will."

"None except for Max, I take it?" Mal asks with a hint of surprise laced into his amused voice. Scarlett's entire body tenses something awful. "I find that strange to believe, given your intellect."

"Max was merely a pawn for my plans, he was _expendable,_" she retorts hotly. "I'd never associate with someone so incompetent lest he was useful for _something_." Scarlett slowly turns her face away from Mal, hoping her facial features are lax and unreadable. She will _not_ let Mal see how his taunts are getting to her.

"Of course," Mal concedes. He puts his empty glass on the small table between them and reclines in his chair with a stretch of his arms. "Oh well. I suppose that is to be expected. Perhaps I simply overestimated you?"

Scarlett's head snaps up at this remark, her face twisting into a look of utter disbelief. Her cheeks are hot as she stares at the pleased face Mal makes, seemingly to fuel the fire burning within her. It works perfectly.

"Pardon? You _overestimated _me? _How dare you insult my intellect_," she stressed through grit teeth. Gone is any attempts of relaxing her mind and soul; now she's completely and utterly determined to strip the Malevolent One of any amusement he may have. "I may be the only person on this show with an exceptional mind, one with an IQ score that far surpasses every one of yours_ combined_. You state that my strategies weren't thoroughly planned out, yet you reside here with the rest of us who failed to win the money. Sounds familiar? That's the _sole purpose_ of _Plaza Des Losers_! Shall I leave you to interpret its meaning or is that simple Spanish beyond your understanding as well?" Scarlett snarls, unrestrained and determined to take Mal apart.

"Clearly, you were struggling the entire season to keep Mike and his personalities imprisoned, was it by chance that you ended up the only survivor? Was it an impulsive act to eliminate Mike? Unlike me, who actually planned to kill everyone on the island."

Scarlett's cutting words seem to strike a nerve inside Mal because his smirk fades immediately. He quickly turns just as red as Scarlett as he sits upright and close to her.

"_What_? You think my choice of disposing of Mike was impetuous? To think you have the _nerve _to speak to me that way!" Mal sneers. "Juvenile prison inmates cower before my feet, Scarlett. I can make you pay _dearly _for those words."

"Your threats are humorous, Mal," Scarlett counters, not an ounce of her shaken by the other's promise for revenge. "I own butcher knives sharper than any of your attempts to outwit me. Touch me and I'll have you join my dear brother in therapy."

"Is that so? I wonder how humorous it'll be for you to suddenly find yourself impaled with your own knife?" Mal's dark smile hints promisingly of such a fate. "Even you must be familiar with cruel irony, darling, seeing as how you ended up here."

Scarlett is unaffected by this display of intimidation. As much as she can appreciate Mal's way of life and the way he faces her with an equal amount of venom dripping from his fangs, she likewise despises Mal with a passion. Her fingers curl around the edge of the chair, craving the assuring touch of a wooden handle beneath her palm and the sharp steel attached to it. "I'll see to it that you'll be stuck humming until your vocal chords shred themselves before I return home. I _dare _you."

The two masterminds proceed to lock onto each other in an intense bout of glaring, in what they regard as an unspoken battle of will and mental fortitude. Despite themselves, their heads are considerably close but neither seem bothered by the proximity. Unfortunately for them, onlookers who had little knowledge of their argument saw this as a heated debacle, the likes of which could resemble what Duncan and Courtney went through before their blooming relationship took to air, and rumors quickly spread of Mal and Scarlett's obvious feelings for one another.

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: i hope i've kept scarlett and mal mostly in character? they seem to hate each other but im sure there are qualities in each other that they can come to appreciate with some time lmao


End file.
